My Refrigerator Turned Into A Dungeon
Chapter 376

Tormented Toga Tsunami

Kateshina Ruu, who couldn’t go to Kusatsu with Egetsu and the others. Even so, she was enjoying the peaceful daily life that had returned in her own way.

She attended university, where more than half the lectures had been canceled, taking the few classes still available. In her free time, she studied in the university library or local libraries. And when her body grew stiff, she stopped by the batting cages on her way home to swing away, filling the air with the satisfying crack of the bat.

Of course, she never skipped her now-daily morning jogs.

(Huh? Isn’t that girl…?)

Amidst the bustle of the city, Toga Tsunami spotted Kateshina Ruu on her way from the university to the batting cages. She was one of the girls often seen with Egetsu, the boy Tsunami had fallen for.

(What should I do…?)

Should she call out to her or not? Tsunami’s heart wavered.

With the declaration that the second wave of the Dungeon Stampede had ended, a semblance of peace had returned to the city. But Tsunami’s heart remained troubled—torn between her feelings for Egetsu and the guilt of having once rejected him.

Seeing Ruu about to disappear into the crowd as she hesitated, Tsunami steeled herself and decided to follow her and call out.

…

Ruu wore modest clothes and a long skirt, holding a handbag in front of her with both hands. Alongside it, a long object tucked into a cloth pouch—perhaps a wind instrument?

"Um, excuse me."

Hearing a voice from behind as she walked down the sidewalk, Ruu stopped and turned. There stood an older woman who looked somewhat familiar.

"Yes?"

"Do you remember me? I work at the healing area in the super sento…"

"Ah, yes. You’re Ruri-chan’s cousin, right? Hello."

Good. She remembered her. Tsunami, too, had heard bits and pieces about Ruu from her cousin, Ruri.

"Sorry for stopping you so suddenly. You’re Ruu-san, right? I saw you in town and… well, after everything that happened, and since you were coming from the hospital, I got worried. I thought it might be rude, but I couldn’t help calling out."

"Oh! Is someone in your family hospitalized?"

"Huh? Ah, yes, my father, just a little…"

"I-Is he okay?!"

The excuse she’d hastily given for stopping her.

But it was true—she had been coming from the hospital, and her father was hospitalized. Still, she was taken aback by Ruu’s unexpectedly strong reaction.

"U-Um, if you don’t mind, would you like to grab some tea and talk? Only if you have time, of course…"

"Yes. I’m free."

Thanks to her experience in customer service, Tsunami had successfully achieved her goal.

…

"—And that’s how it ended up happening."

"Goodness, you went through so much…"

But as she listened to Ruu recount their experiences during the Dungeon Stampede in the café, Tsunami realized the stories were far beyond what she had imagined.

(They traveled on foot through that hellscape with just four people? And while leading evacuees all the way to Ruri’s school…?!

She had heard the broad strokes from Ruri.

But those were mostly events inside the school. She never imagined they had traversed the monster-infested city on foot.

(Grrr…! Ughhh…!)

Suddenly, the memory of a monster’s ragged breath—just beyond a door—flashed in Tsunami’s mind, sending a chill down her spine and draining the color from her face.

"…Nami-san! Tsunami-san! Are… are you okay?!"

"Ah…! Y-Yes. It’s nothing. I just remembered something unpleasant…"

Ruu, sitting across from her, bowed her head apologetically.

"I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have talked about such scary things. For normal people, these stories are just terrifying, aren’t they…"

"N-No, it’s fine, Ruu-chan. I was the one who asked to hear about it. But still… All I could do was make sure not to open the door…"

Tsunami lowered her gaze, her expression disheartened.

"Ah, no! It’s only because we had Coach with us! Because of him, we grew stronger! Because of him, the three of us could keep fighting!"

"I see… How enviable. Truly…"

Tsunami had approached Ruu hoping to hear about Egetsu.

But from her words, she could sense the deep bond between Ruu, her friends, and Egetsu—only sinking her heart further into despair.